Independent Studios US

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Milwaukee, WI
Independent Studios US

Independent Studios is a video and audio post-production facility headquartered in downtown Milwauke
(3)

11/08/2024

When you don't know what to do with the extra koozies from when you moved to a new location 5 years ago.......

10/24/2024

Last fall, Remote Planet recorded two orchestral pieces written by Pulitzer Prize winning composer, Raven Chacon. Voiceless Mass and Owl Song were recorded on location at the Cathedral of St. John in Milwaukee. At Independent, Steve Kultgen worked with his longtime accomplice Ric Probst, and producer Eric Segnitz, to turn the original stereo mixes into Dolby Atmos (immersive audio) mixes. Ric provided Steve with all the instrument stems, allowing the composer and Eric to position them perfectly where they were wanted within 3D space. The two compositions were then mixed in our 7.1.4 studio— which involves 7 surround speakers, 1 subwoofer, and 4 ceiling speakers. But for those who prefer headphones or earbuds, they also created a Binaural format version… just in case you were hoping to get your immersive experimental contemporary instrumental music fix whilst on the go.

10/14/2024

Behold! Our formidable Adworkers Trivia team! And behold -- the slowly dissolving facade of faux-confidence as it is met with unrelenting befuddlement!

Post-game break-down: The befuddlement continued, as this team somehow managed to idle its way into the third position.

09/23/2024

Love & Irony, the hand-tailored romantic comedy that Independent sound designed and scored for director John Biesack, has just won the Best Feature Film award at the Saugatuck Film Festival!

Where is Saugatuck, you ask?

In Michigan.

According to this shirt, life is supposedly better there.

09/10/2024

Wednesday Debate Topic: The hits of Huey Lewis represent some kind of apex in American Pop.

Arguing in favor of this motion will be: Peter

07/09/2024

Look at all these awards and accolades!

Readers choice award winner
https://www.readerschoicebookawards.com/adult/rebecca-anne-nguyen/the-23rd-hero

She Reads
https://shereads.com/first-look-the-23rd-hero-by-rebecca-anne-nguyen/

Kirkus Review
https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/rebecca-anne-nguyen/the-23rd-hero/

I don’t know about you, but I always prefer an audiobook when it’s read by the author. And with this audiobook, The 23rd Hero, you can hear Rebecca Anne Nguyen, the author, reading her tale of time traveling back to sixteenth-century France to save the world… you know, the usual kind of thing. And if you do happen to listen to this audiobook, you can further expand your imagination by envisioning Steve Kultgen in the studio, meticulously recording, editing and mixing every single word that you’re listening to. We think this will make the experience even more exciting for you.

Don’t miss it! The book is available for pre-order now!

Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/23rd-Hero-Rebecca-Anne-Nguyen/dp/B0D3WKVP3X/

Bookshop purchase link
https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-23rd-hero-rebecca-anne-nguyen/21450318?ean=9798989593415

Live event at Lion's Tooth Books
https://www.facebook.com/share/Ry6jffT2Y7tYXbKn/?mibextid=9l3rBW

06/21/2024

Finally, some damn laurels! It’s just nice to see them all in print. Yes, it’s true, we here at Independent are probably a little bit biased, having sound designed, mixed, and composed the score for Love & Irony, but apparently some other people out there also like this movie, it would seem, and it’s always kinda nice to receive positive feedback, isn’t it?

05/28/2024

Thank Poseidon — Trish is back from Greece!!!

Sorry to disappoint everybody, but this is pretty much the best picture we actually have of Trish in Greece.

03/15/2024

“Beware the Ides of March!"

02/20/2024

"The Way Home" by author, Ben Katt

Back in November, we had the pleasure of recording the audiobook for "The Way Home". The book is now available for purchase and also available on audio streaming platforms.

Spotify: "We're thrilled that The Way Home is featured in the 2nd slot in the US New and Trending Releases shelf in the Self-Help genre!”

Ben will be at Boswell Books tonight, February 20th @ 6:30pm for the book launch. You can register for the event at the Boswell Books website!

You can order "The Way Home: Discovering the Hero's Journey to Wholeness at Midlife" at https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250910448/the-way-home

Congratulations Ben!

A guidebook for those at midlife struggling to find themselves, applying Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey to the modern reader’s quest for wholeness. T...

01/15/2024

We hope everyone survived the recent "snow event.” That much time snowbound in the house (assuming you had power) would have been well-spent brushing up on your Morse code skills. You never know when you might need them.
... . .-.. .--. -.-.-- / .. .----. ...- . / -... . . -. / -... ..- .-. .. . -.. / .. -. / -- --- -.. . .-. .- - . .-.. -.-- / ... . ...- . .-. . / ... -. --- .-- / . ...- . -. - .-.-.- / .--. .-.. . .- ... . / ... . -. -.. / -.-. --- -.-. --- .- -.-.--

12/22/2023

Double trouble today!!!!!

12/11/2023

Independent Studios will be closed the week of
December 25th, returning Tuesday, January 2nd.
Happy Holidays!

12/08/2023

It was a very close game…. but Trish and Ryan managed to squeak out a victory, 5 to 0.

12/08/2023

The Friday Foosball Tournament has begun!

11/29/2023

For all of you out there in Marketing Land — they tell us vinyl is back — so, just saying…

11/13/2023

We would like to thank our parents and our agents for this prestigious award, and we would like to show our respect for the other nominees — Bridge Capital of the World, The Fairy Godmother of Glass, From Southside to Center Stage, and of course, Sax in the City. But we can’t deny the fact that they like us! They REALLY like us!

Congratulations to Mike Curkov and the team at CBS 58 Milwaukee!

https://fb.watch/oi0MC7xGmi/

11/03/2023

Our friend, Evan Jones, stopped by and dropped off a copy of his wife's, Deborah, new novel, Blood To Rubies.

Blood to Rubies is a sweeping western saga about the cataclysm between Manifest Destiny and native Indian sovereignty, telescoped through the intimate stories and photographs of frontier photographer, Frederick Cortland. You can read more about the novel and links to order at https://www.deborahhufford.com/

If Lola had thumbs, she'd give it 2 thumbs up! 👍👍

Address

1037 W McKinley Avenue, Ste 104
Milwaukee, WI
53205

Telephone

+14143471100

Website

http://www.independentstudios.tv/

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Videos

Radio ads can be both adventurous, and delicious. Steve Kultgen managed to fit about 90 seconds worth of an ocean-to-table journey into a tidy 60 second spot for the restaurant around the corner — the Hotel Metro. Regrettably, we were compensated in cash, and not in fresh fish.

Back in the mid 1980s, when laptop computers were just a distant dream and “big tech” advertised on the radio, along came GRiDCASE — from military expeditions to scientific explorations, GRiDCASE laptops emerged as a rugged, reliable, portable computer. Fortunately, Randy was there to help them craft this sonic skit about the lousy escapades of a dubious outfit called InterScam, featuring the voices of Michael O’Brien and the late Jim Cranna.

Who knew a simple radio ad for a daily, local, light-news magazine program, airing Friday night at 7:30 on KPIX, Channel 5, could be so… enticing?

Join us, won’t you, as we go dialing back into Radio's Golden Days — where marketing magic happened “On Air." Take a trip down memory lane and experience the wit and charm that made radio ads so much fun. This forgotten gem from the golden era of advertising was skillfully crafted by Randy Bobo on a machine devoid of microprocessors. It uses humor and funny voices in an attempt to sell Chevy Blazers. While we can't measure the exact impact on sales, one thing is for certain: those who tuned in were entertained, and those who responded to the ad got “low” 8.8% financing.

Fetching Police Pup Pleases Pupils! This holiday video deserves a round of a-paws! Blue unleashes a canine Christmas! Here comes Santa Paws! Look out — the holidays have gone to the dogs! Have yourself a Hairy Christmas! Yule love this pooch! "Doggone it — it’s Christmas!” Barks Marquette’s Campus Hound!

Founded in 1991, Independent Studios delivers crafted audio and visual post-production to filmmakers, advertising agencies, corporations, and digital media producers. When looking for a post-production house, it's better to go with the guys who have been around for a while. Here at Independent Studios, we take an expert approach to all your post-production needs. Leave it to us, we'll make your work look better, guaranteed. #filmmaking #postproduction #foundation

Independent Studios is proud to call Milwaukee it's home 📍 Milwaukee has a rich and lively film industry that brings filmmakers from around the world together. We feel blessed to be submerged in the Milwaukee film culture ❤️ Although our customers come from all over the world, we love supporting local filmmakers and businesses whenever we can. Check out our page to find out more about how Independent Studios can help you grow your business. How does your city celebrate filmmaking? #Milwaukeefilm #milwaukee #homeiswheretheheartis #postproduction #filmmaking #independentfilmmaking

Congratulations to the entire team that helped create Deep Woods🎉 We are honored to have had two of our staff members work on this production. Steve Kultgen, who worked on the sound mixing and editing, and Peter Batchelder, who worked on the composing. Thank you so much to the Norway Action Film Festival for the incredible honor. We truly appreciate all the support you've given filmmakers and our team. If you'd like to check out a trailer for Deep Woods you can find the link below. https://vimeo.com/663522707?fbclid=IwAR1ufzO6NZ6iZ2l44vB2-Y08UZ0bv7Z42rJqZXsCo-BjUKE9zjmeFlAJvyI8rCHGBFhmzGDsRZrgaVKGETTgmFRUpOiWcZ_PG5ZPl4E0UGh-NtC0Bw9zK80rptalLoXy5FOCG0pLOMtmODRaP3xxEqDc2EvNGXciHkesOywkmIwhI3_eBDFRreJkuEcevhjfG0yV6oY_59eSNbl79Ot0CA-Rwa-zif4SQhBBL9AdRi8gsKM5zl Don't forget to check out our page and see all the amazing work we do at Independent Studios. #filmfestival2022 #norwayactionfilmfestival #bestfilm #awardceremony #norway #milwaukee #filmmaking #filmfestival

Here’s a sneak peak behind the world of audio. Steve is an audio engineer, he holds recording sessions and makes sure our clients sound great 🔊 Steve makes sure Independent Studios’ audio quality is beyond your expectations. For all things audio ask Steve! Check out more behind the scenes action on our page 🎥🎞 #postproductionhouse #productioncompany #localmilwaukee #audioengineer #film #independentfilmmaker #advertismentagency #commercial

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Independent Studios US

About

Independent Studios is a video and audio post-production facility headquartered in downtown Milwaukee that specializes in Video Editing, Music Composition, Sound Design, Motion Graphics, Animation, Visual Effects - essential services needed to craft a professional, finished product for radio and television commercials/programs, documentaries/films and web/digital commercial uses. Formed in 1991 as a partnership between Peter Buffett and Randy Bobo, Independent Studios continues to be recognized as the premier ‘post-house’ for trusted, professional results throughout the midwest region.

Post-Production is stage of media creation when the editors & mixers cut the a project together. They add sound, visual and special effects, voice-overs, songs, music scoring, and other details to the project. The mixers layer the sound to the picture and add titles to the final product that is then distributed in multiple formats.

Our New Home

On May 16, 2019 Independent Studios moved from its original location on Jefferson Street near Cathedral Square to join a select set of curated partners within the new NŌ Studios building at 1037 W. McKinley Avenue in the heart of the Pabst complex. Our new neighbors include: NŌ Studios, The Duncan Group, Milwaukee Film, Gener8tor, Media Circus International, Marquette University, Milwaukee Filmmaker Alliance (MFA), Backline, Imagine Milwaukee, 371 Productions and UWM. The newly custom-built suites feature state-of-the-art studio and post-production bespoke design. Aesthetically, the staff decided to bring with them some of the look and feel of their Jefferson ‘home’ so those that have previously visited it may recognize decor such as the Bamboo- and British Colonial-themed studio rooms.

Our People

Randy Bobo - Founder and Sound Design

Randy Bobo, is founder and owner of the Milwaukee-based post-production company. Randy got his start in audio for the theatre as resident sound designer at the American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco. A decade of post-production work followed at Music Annex where he worked on film and broadcast projects including “Liquid Television” for MTV. Although Randy has primarily worked on radio and television commercials and shows, he also has credits on documentary films, including “The Life and Times of C.S. Lewis”, “The First Patient”, “The Cost of Freedom - Civil Liberties, Security and the USA Patriot Act”, “Prayer in America” and “The Reagan Presidency” which aired on PBS. Randy’s credits include Sound Design and Audio Post-Production Supervision for the award winning feature film “SweetLand” (winner of the 2007 Spirit Award for Independent Film, Best First Feature).

Steve Kultgen - Sound Editor and Mixer

Steve Kultgen is a sound editor and mixer who, in 1997 started as Independent Studios' first employee. Prior to arriving at Independent, he worked on ad agency-driven tv and radio spots at Milwaukee Sound Studios from 1990-1997.

Recent film work: Sound editorial and mix for “The First Patient” Mayo Clinic; Dir. Chip Duncan Mix for “The Blood Is at the Doorstep” Documentary about the police shooting of Dontre Hamilton; Dir. Erik Ljung; Sound editorial and mix for “The Field”. Dir. Tate Bunker ADR recording for Chicago PD and Fire, Shameless, Milo Murphy’s Law (Weird Al Yankovic), and NCIS NOLA. Recent projects: Montana Tourism, Wisconsin Lottery, Ski-Doo / Sea-Doo, Can-Am, Echo Lawn Equipment, University of Wisconsin Credit Union, Keen Footwear, Cintas, Marquette University, Children’s Hospital

Peter Batchelder - Composer

Peter Batchelder has been working at Independent Studios as a music composer, sound designer and audio engineer for over 20 years. Although his academic background was in filmmaking, shortly after graduation, Peter started to focus more on music and sound design as his primary areas of interest. As a composer, Peter has written music for numerous commercials, TV shows, feature films, short films and documentaries. Some projects that feature his music are Green Street Hooligans, Modus Operandi, The Reagan Presidency, The First Patient, The Wheel, LittlRed, and The Field. Peter most enjoys collaborating with his clients, and least enjoys writing bios about himself.

Ryan Plato - Assistant Editor, Technical Advisor & Writer

Ryan Plato is an assistant editor and technical advisor, working regularly in both the AVID platform and the Adobe Creative Suite. He deals with ingestion and output of client footage and elements while ensuring a smooth transition through final delivery, be it WEB, film, broadcast, trade show, or other medium. Dealing with everyone from local television stations to media exhibitors nationally and internationally via Extreme Reach, DropBox, Hightail, and other distribution solutions, Ryan stays informed and up-to-date on the latest strategies and newest methods of global media dissemination. Ryan is also a screenwriter, having written several award winning short films that have screened around the world.

Kevin Klimek - Video Editor

Kevin Klimek has been creating visual stories for over 25 years. A native to Milwaukee, he has had the opportunity to edit national, regional, and local television and long-form campaigns including Ski-doo, CITGO, Kohl’s, West Virginia Tourism, and the Milwaukee Brewers. While skilled in all genres, Kevin is sought out for crafting emotional stories out of unscripted interviews. Whether working independently or collaboratively, he believes that the post process can reveal moments that, while not appearing on the scripted page, can greatly enhance the end product.

Trish Sheppard - Business Manager

Trish Sheppard is the Business Manager for Independent Studios. With a BBA in Accounting from UW-Milwaukee, she’s worn many hats over the course of her career. In her current position managing the business affairs for the studio, she really enjoys working with the clients and the creative aspects of this industry and oversees the day-to-day operations of the studio so the rest of the staff can focus on what they do best. Whether you need a project estimate, scheduling or have a billing question, give her a call or send her an email.

Email contact: [email protected]

Jason Klagstad - Marketing Communications

During Jason’s career in the music and experiential marketing industries he has, amongst other things, helped produce a concert on the North Pole with the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Violent Femmes for Molson and managed teams executing up to 700 branded events per week. As head of production at GMR Marketing, his $17 million annual client portfolio included Miller Brewing, Trojan, EA Sports, Altria, Microsoft, Intel, Tyco and The Packers and Nike. Spearheading the tech revolution in event marketing, he co-founded a group out of Green Bay (Cineviz) that introduced holograms, interactive projection and augmented reality to clients such as Nike, Packers and Intel. His role at Independent studios is to use up-to-date digital marketing methods to bring the Independent Studios brand to a national audience.

Email contact: [email protected]